New Bow Purchase
 

Hey,

I was thinking about buying a new bow this month. I am looking for a fast ( > 300 advertised IBO speed), relatively short (< 35 inches), at least 70% let off and probably at least 70 pounds of draw weight. The bow will replace my primary bow and be used pretty much for hunting, probably a little bit of winter 3D League as well.

I think that I have it narrowed down some to the following companies / bows
1: Hoyt - Vipertec / etc.
2: Bow Tech, liberty / Allegiance
3: Archery Research - Ram 34

Does anyone have any thoughts / comments / Suggestions? I am leaning towards a Bow Tech, either a liberty or Allegiance... Anyone have one of those? Pros / Cons / Likes / Dislikes?

Is there another bow that I haven't listed that I should take a look at?

Thanks,

Scott

RE: New Bow Purchase
 

You can't go wrong with any one of those although I'm partial to Hoyts. In my opinion they are much smoother and quieter than anything else in the price range.
Why do you want such a short axle to axle bow? My Hoyt XTEC is 35 1/2 inches and is perectly fine in any tight tree stand I've ever been in. Those extra few inches might give you a bit more stability. I also have a 65% let off at 55 pounds so it's a very smooth and stable shooter.

RE: New Bow Purchase
 

I absolutely LOVE my Liberty. I was fortunate enough to be able to test-shoot several BowTechs, Hoyts, and Mathews bows to see which I liked the best. I think it's as smooth as anything out there and I've had guys comment at 3D shoots that it's very quiet. It's just my opinion, so I could be wrong of course - or it could just be me - but I didn't like how the Hoyts drew back. They seemed stiffer and tougher to get the cam to roll over and into the valley than the other two manufacturers. But it's all about what you like and what feels best to you.

I agree on the axle-to-axle comment, though: I wouldn't worry about bringing a 35+" bow out hunting. I'd love to get the go-ahead to purchase an Old Glory!

good luck shopping

RE: New Bow Purchase
 

Thanks for all of the comments so far. I currently have a bow that's just about 35 inches so I was a just using that as a frame of reference. CJ, how fast is your liberty is it noticably faster than your buddies bows? My old hoyt is about 268 on the chronograph and it's just getting a little bit old. I will keep it for a backup bow or maybe try to get my fiance into shooting.

Scott

RE: New Bow Purchase
 

From the BowTech's you've chose ,if your looking for speed then the Allegiance should be your choice it's the faster of the 2 BT's you've chose .

But as far as smooth I'd have to go with the Hoyt Xtec ,even though I'll never trade my BowTech Patriot Dually in for one since I'm partial to BowTech ,I was close to buying the Hoyt because of this bow being so smooth to draw and shoot ,but I too was looking for speed and this is why i went with the BowTech and I'm glad I did. Good luck with your choice because any one of these bow's you choose are all great bow's .

nubo

RE: New Bow Purchase
 

I have a buddy who's shooting a new Switchback and we're about the same. He has slightly heavier arrows and a lower draw weight, but another 2 inches on his draw length than I do. Liberty's not the speed demon of the BowTech lineup, though. It's fast enough, IMO, but built more to be smooth, quiet and accurate.

RE: New Bow Purchase
 

Scott, I would suggest dropping by a couple of pro shops and trying the bows you mentioned. Each bow model has it's own feel and traits. One that fits, feels good and shoots well with your style will be well worth the extra effort.
Good Hunting...

RE: New Bow Purchase
 

Thanks for all of the comments. I am going to try and hunt down some pro-shops this week. Will the pro shops have a bow setup and be able to fine tune it so that I could shot it? I never really asked one before. I've only dealt with a couple of shops and they were from my home town so I had already known the owners for a while.

I live in Dallas NC, just outside of Gastonia. Can anyone recommend a pro-shop around here?

Thanks once again for all of the comments / suggestions.

Scott

RE: New Bow Purchase
 

Any reputable pro shop will set one up and let you shoot it before you buy it. If they don't, move on to the next one. Don't buy a bow you havent shot.

RE: New Bow Purchase
 

I favor Hoyt, simply b/c I like there grip and they don't have such radical parrallel limb designs....